NEW DELHI: India and Finland, with their complementary skills, can work together to find solutions to several global challenges and bring positive outcomes, commented Ville Tavio, Finland’s Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade. “Between Finland and India, we can find several positive outcomes in the areas of digitisation, education, sustainability and innovation,” Tavio told this newspaper.
“I have come with a delegation comprising representatives of companies, which includes mostly technology firms, and some offering green solutions. At the Nordic Baltic convention, we also networked politically and I met commerce minister Piyush Goyal. You may be aware that there are many Finnish companies in India.
This includes Kone, which makes elevators, and Nokia, a telecom service provider. Similarly, there are many Indian companies in Finland. We also hope that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and European Union concludes soon, as it would be mutually beneficial for all the countries involved,” Tavio said.
Finland is also looking at supporting sustainability projects that turn waste into energy in India. The country is also seeking collaborations with start-ups. Meanwhile, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that the proposed FTA with EU and four nations of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA, comprising Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) are doable, but they should keep in mind India’s interests.
“We are actively engaged in dialogue with the European Union and European Free Trade Association for a Free Trade Agreement. I do believe that both these are eminently doable and will significantly help us expand our engagement not only in trade in goods and services, but also in investments, technology, tourism, innovation and clean energy,” said Goyal, while speaking at the Nordic Baltic conference.
Waste-to-energy projects
Finland and India can find several positive outcomes in the areas of digitisation, education, sustainability and innovation, said Ville Tavio. Finland is also looking at supporting sustainability projects that turn waste into energy in India. The country is also seeking collaborations with start-ups, according to Tavio.